Just a Pass of the Baton
by Kinnaaan
Summary: The cruel twists and turns of Fate sends Lyra Soul across timelines to the alternate universe of Pokemon Crystal, where she will soon learn that she will eventually replace her counterpart, Krystal Heart. Kris is everything Lyra had ever wanted to be, and more. And now, Lyra has to suffer the consequences of being that poorly crafted substitute that nobody really ever needed...
1. Chapter 1: Baton Pass

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Word count: 1,799**

**Whelp. I'm replaying my copy of HeartGold, and I've just been hit with a wave of inspiration. Since Lyra replaced Kris, and everybody hates Lyra because of it, I wanted to write something about it.**

**I've um.. never played Crystal (I've just skimmed through a few pages of Bulbapedia and watched a walkthrough video or two) and its been a while since I actually **_**finished **_**HG so... Please forgive me for any mistakes I made. Plus, this is my first fanfic EVER so... Ahem, anyway. I hope you like it!**

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**_Just a Pass of the Baton_**

**_Chapter 1: Baton Pass_**

* * *

_Seeing Silver and Giovanni argue wasn't the only thing I experienced when it came to time traveling. After I defeated Giovanni in the present, Celebi pulled me into a completely different timeline._

**OoOoO**

I'm standing in a room that reminds me of my own bedroom, except everything is surrounded by a weird haze, like a camera with bad quality, compared to what I'm used to. Frantic, I look around for Ethan, but he's nowhere to be found. Maybe Celebi dropped him off elsewhere...?

I'm jerked out of my thoughts when I see a girl about my age jolt awake on her bed, like she's emerging from some strange dream. I tilt my head as she looks around frantically in the near-darkness. She hops off her bed and sprints for something – the light switch. I jump out of her way, but I realize, after she turns on the light, that she can't see me anyway. I'm invisible.

It turns out she's looking for the clock. Sighing, like she's relieved, she jumps back into her bed and falls unconscious immediately, the light still switched on.

From what I could tell, something about this girl reminded me of… _me._ She had pigtails – crooked, _blue_ pigtails – but pigtails all the same. She also slept with her hat on - a habit I thought only _I_ had the displeasure to have.

Wondering _what in the world_ Celebi wanted me to do in this strange universe, I sigh and gaze out her window. The first rays of sunlight could be seen just over the horizon. Looking back at the blue-haired girl, I wait patiently for her to wake up.

**OoOoO**

When the strange girl wakes up, she runs across her room and attempts to get a little gaming time on her PC and Wii before rushing downstairs. So not only did we look alike, but we also shared the same idiosyncrasies.

I follow her down the stairs (and although I stomp down the stairs like a Rhyhorn, the bluenette apparently can't _hear_ me any better than she can _see_ me).

A woman, who I assume is her mother, greets her when she reaches the bottom step. '_Kris,'_ she calls her.

As she converses her mom, I see that, more or less, she was given the same talk _I _was given when I was embarking on my first Pokemon adventure.

I begin to get suspicious and just a _little_ creeped out when she goes on the same exact errand I went was given back in _my_ timeline.

I keep watching... And watching... And watching. Not until after fateful Kris's encounter with Silver do I realize – I've been replaced. No – that's not it – I've been the one _doing_ the replacing.

And suddenly I have an urge to give this girl's life back. I don't know how I know, but I just _know_ – I took this fate away from her; I stole her timeline.

And all this time, I had been dancing about in my own happy-go-lucky Present without a care in the world.

**OoOoO**

I start to admire this _Kris._ As she goes on with her adventure, I can see the _major_ differences between us. She's so much _more_ than I'll ever be, what with her athletic and adventurous - but still mature - nature. Me, well…

Compared to her, I have cosplay clothing (based off a certain character on the Wii) that only a five-year-old would wear, and a naïve, immature personality to boot.

But even _I_ can tell, though, that Kris is slightly lost and confused. Since I've been through her experiences, in a way... I decide to guide her throughout her journey.

But when I see Silver treat her warmly – more warmly then he'll ever treat _me –_I try not to get envious. Despite my title as Champion in my _own_ timeline, I don't think I'll ever be accepted or as loved as Kris... Because I'm the replacement; the poorly created substitute that nobody wants.

Still, I help her anyway, because I owe _that_ much to her - after all, you're going to take her lifetime away sooner or later.

She becomes Champion. I'm _damn_ proud of her; we were finally on the same level.

I see her celebrate with her mother, with the League, with the Gym Leaders, with _Silver_. I try even _harder_ not to get jealous. But I still do... Shouldn't I have the same chances she has? After all, aren't we the same?

No, we're not. I know, in my heart, we aren't.

I'll never be her. I took her timeline from _her_, so it's never 'she'll never be me.' It's always; _I'll never be Kris._

**OoOoO**

I start to think she notices my presence. At least, she starts smiling in my general direction and saying,

"Thank you."

So we start to talk. I send her telepathic messages, and she replies by writing things down on her notepad.

We begin to bond like sisters, and now I don't really have to _guide_ her anymore.

I don't tell her I'll replace her in a few years, though.

She defeats the eight gym leaders of Kanto _and _Red (without my help, because I hadn't defeated even one of them yet). Of course, I'm _still_ proud of her, and we rejoice together.

And then she starts dating Silver. He actually… _smiles._ He's never done that with me. Never.

But I'm happy for the two of them. After all, I was her, and she… _will be_ me. So maybe I have a chance.

She knows I'm from the future, but I haven't had the heart to tell her I'm her future _replacement_.

But knowing her cunning, I bet she's figured it out by now.

And when she finally asks me about it, I don't deny it.

Being Kris, she doesn't hold it against me. It does make things awkward between us, though.

**OoOoO**

Nine years have passed since the beginning of her adventure, and five years since she beat Red.

We're still talking, but not as much anymore. But we _both_ know her time is coming. _Our_ time is coming.

By now she's already told her mother, her friends… Well, everybody but _Silver_.

I've promised her I'd be there when she tells him... Heaven knows how he'll react.

She's twenty now, and he's twenty-one. Even _I_ can tell by the way he acts around her, that he wants to propose soon.

And that breaks my heart..._ In more ways than one._

She tells him, and he looks _shattered._ I could never make him love me - or even _like_ me - enough for him to be sad like that… Only goes to show that Kris deserves so much _more_ than this.

For once, I don't envy her.

I can feel both of our souls slipping away as Kris and Silver embrace one last time.

"I'll never forget you, Kris."

Those are the last words I hear Silver utter before being sent away by the pull of Time.

In the realm between our timelines, Celebi appears out of nowhere, and expectantly looks at Kris and me.

As the seconds tick by, I feel my timeline getting closer and closer. I finally break the silence. "Kris... I... I'm really sorry about _all_ of this."_  
_

"It isn't your fault. This wasn't your choice..." She looks down at her hands. "I think Celebi will send me to the time _just_ before you started your adventure, just like you were sent to the beginning of _mine_." She smiles. "It's time for me to return the favor... And guide your past self."

I take a moment to process that information. "But... You don't have to help me. _I_ may not have taken your life away, specifically, but it was taken away _because_ of me."

She looks back up and shakes her head. "I don't care about that. You had no obligation to help _me -_ a _complete_ stranger - with my adventure. But you did."

I gasp as Kris's figure starts to disappear. As she disintegrates, she gives one last smile - it was a weak smile, that of woman's when her heart breaks and her entire life is torn to shreds - but a smile nonetheless. "Thank you..."

Those are the last words I hear her say. In the moments before Celebi drops me off in my present time - in the moments I see right past my _own_ hands to see the swirling vortex of memories behind it - I realize that Kris was there the _entire_ time I was on my adventure, in my own timeline.

"No," I say to the empty space she had occupied just a few seconds ago. "Thank _you._"

* * *

**So how was it? ****I'm actually too lazy to do any more research to see if everything is correct or not, so yeah. If there's any inaccurate stuff then, well, oops... Yeah, I'm horrible, I know.**

**So if I made the whole time-travel thingy too complicated to understand, here's a summary:**

**'Celebi sends Lyra to the time of Pokemon Crystal after the HGSS Celebi Event. Years pass in the _Crystal_ timeline... Then it's time for Kris to leave her timeline; she says goodbye, and she and Lyra are sent across time back to the _HGSS _by Celebi. Kris then has to go to Lyra's **_**Past**_** (from when Lyra was just beginning her journey) while Lyra goes back to her normal Present. So, if it makes sense, the person who was guiding Present Lyra was Past Kris. Present Kris (the one who appears in this story) is guiding Future Lyra.'**

**I threw in some Redemption (Kris x Silver gameverse) and SoulsilverShipping (Lyra x Silver). Don't get me wrong, I actually ship SoulSilver, not Redemption. I also ship Newbark (Kris x Ethan/Gold) but since Gold doesn't actually appear in _Crystal, _I just paired Kris and Silver together to get Lyra jealous.  
**

**ANYWAY, Reviews ****are welcome! And I'd love some tips! Thank you for taking the time to read this! And again, this is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2: Reincarnation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

**Word count: 1,649**

**This will probably be a huge disappointment... I'm sorry... But hey, I'm trying! Huuge, important A/N at the end, so please read it when you're done! I don't really want to keep you here at the top of the page, so go ahead and start reading!**

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_**Just a Pass of the Baton**_

_**Chapter 2: Reincarnation**_

* * *

Birds chirped excitedly as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. It was 6:21, but Lyra wasn't sleeping, like she normally would be. Instead she was on her computer, eagerly reading the following email from her childhood friend:

_Up and at 'em, Lyra! Don't want to be late for the Professor's errand. I heard you're embarking on a new adventure! Isn't the Professor giving you a Pokemon? Aren't you excited? _

_~ Ethan Gold; sent at 6:19_

Smiling slightly to herself, she slipped off her uncomfortable chair and took one longing look at her Wii and TV… and rushed downstairs before she got tempted by the deadly lure of procrastination.

Her mother, a beautiful youth - Lenora – hurried towards her daughter, shocked that Lyra had finally woken up before twelve. "Up and early, Lyra?"

"Yep! I'm super excited; I could barely sleep!"

Lenora allowed a soft smile to grace her features. "By the way, Ethan was just here, playing hide-and-seek with his Marill."

"Dang! So I just missed him, huh?"

Lenora laughed. "Maybe you should wake up even earlier, and more often! Anyway, on a more serious note, you _do_ know that Professor Elm wanted you at his lab about ten minutes ago, right?"

Lyra huffed. "Why so early?"

"Trainers have to be up at the crack of dawn, dear. You just happened to get lucky this time. At least you aren't five hours late!"

Lyra stuck her tongue out at her mother – a habit she knew she had to fix, as it was completely unladylike and extremely rude – but it didn't really help when Lenora blew a raspberry back.

"Do you have all you need?" Lenora nagged her daughter, regaining that motherly attitude. "Here, take this Bag to carry all your stuff. I swear; it's bottomless! Bigger on the inside than out! Like on one of those TV shows…"

Lyra rolled her eyes at her nerdy mother, and took the bag from her hands.

"Here's your Trainer Card… Your diary… An adventure guide – " With each phrase, she handed her daughter a bundle of items.

"Really, Mom," she said, taking all of the items shoved at her by her mom, "I'll be fine. I'm just going on an errand for now! I'll be back before I go on my real adventure!"

"Right," Lenora sighed. "Come right back when you're done and ready!"

"Okay," Lyra called over her shoulder.

She opened the door and inhaled the refreshing, chilly morning air of Newbark.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ethan out playing with his Marill – '_He already has a Pokemon, I'm so jealous,'_ thought Lyra – and she was about to call out his name, but she let herself blink… and then he was nowhere to be found. He had an annoying habit of doing that. Sighing, she made her way to the Professor's Lab.

As she walked up to the largest, most luxurious house in Newbark - other than her own - she saw a redheaded teenager peering through the window on the side of the house. Curious as to what he was up to, she strode up to him. Hearing her footsteps, he jumped and glared.

"… You there. What are _you_ staring at?"

Surprised by the harshness of his voice, she almost crashed into the doorknob of the Lab before rushing inside.

_'That girl… She looks familiar. Have I met her before…?'_ Muttered the redhead to himself.

"Hi Lyra," he heard the professor - a balding man with glasses - say to the girl. _'Lyra…'_ thought the redhead. _'So _that's_ her name… She doesn't seem like too much trouble... But _now_ I've got to wait until she's gone to snatch one of those Pokemon…'_

"I've been waiting for you! Do you know anything about my research?"

"A little," she replied in an annoying, bubbly voice. "Something about the relationship between a Pokemon and its Trainer?"

"Yes…" nodded the Professor. "Some Trainers walk with their Pokemon, rather than keep them in their Pokeballs, to further strengthen the bond between Pokemon and Trainer."

_'How weak and pitiful,'_ thought the redhead. _'Only _wimps_ rely on foolish things life 'friendship' and 'love.' I don't need _any _of those things!'_

"I'm going to give you a Pokemon!" _'Wait, the Professor is trusting some random girl just like that? How dumb…'_

"Can you walk beside the Pokemon, to see if this brings any special feelings or bonds between you two?"

Lyra eagerly nodded. "Okay!"

The Professor led the pigtailed brunette to a strange machine with three Pokeballs inside. "That device has some Pokemon to choose from… Feel free to pick whichever one you like – "

_~ Bring, Bring! ~_

"Oh, I got an email! Excuse me for a moment…" He went to his desk check his computer. "Hm… Uh-huh… Okay…" He turned around again. "Hey, listen – I know someone name Mr. Pokemon, and he keeps finding strange things for me to research on. It's probably a Pokemon Egg, but me and my assistants are so busy…"

A wave of distress washed over the poor Professor, and Lyra could see his signs of aging very clearly now. "You know what?" she said, straightening. "I'd be more than happy to go in your place! I'll also bring one of the Pokemon with me, so it's two birds killed with one stone!"

"Oh, no, I can't ask you to do that – "

"I'll do it! I want to help in whatever way I can! Besides, you're even giving me a Pokemon!"

The Professor thought about it, and then decided it was useless to argue against the relentless brunette. Besides, she had presented a good case. "Thank you… Go ahead and choose a Pokemon." He gestured to the machine holding the three Pokeballs.

Lyra nodded, and walked over to pick a Pokemon. "Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile…" she muttered, shifting through her choices very carefully. She'd always been more attracted to fire types… "I choose… I choose Cyndaquil!" She reached in for the Pokeball and released the fiery mouse.

_'Damn!'_ the redhead cursed. _'_I_ was going to pick that one.'_

"Ah, the Fire-Mouse Pokemon? What are you going to nickname it?" inquired the Professor.

"Umm… Uh, Flare...?" muttered the brunette, more asking than stating.

The redhead almost spluttered in disgust. '_If you're going to give it a nickname,'_ hissed the irritated teenager, still pissed off that he couldn't get the Cyndaquil,_ 'at least give it a _decent_ one! Besides, only _weaklings_ resort to naming their pokemon lovey-dovey pet names! How unprofessional.'_

"Take it for a little walk in here," said the Professor.

Lyra nodded, and she jogged a few laps around the interior of the Lab before returning back to Elm. "How did you like walking with Flare? Not at all bad, is it?"

Lyra laughed. "It's really fun!"

"You can take her all the way to Mr. Pokemon's house. Try not to get her hurt! There are many vicious, wild Pokemon in the tall grass. And don't forget about that errand!"

"I wont! I mean, I won't forget, and I won't get her hurt! Thank you very much, Professor," called the brunette as she walked out the door.

"Wait! I haven't even told you where his house is!"

"_Oops,_" mumbled Lyra, as she skidded to a stop; red as a tomato from embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Go a little north past Cherrygrove. I'm counting on you, Lyra!"

"Thank you very much! Bye!"

As she left – Flare trailing at her heels – one of the assistants spoke. "Wait, Lyra! I need to give you these; it'll come in handy!"

He shoved a couple of Potions into her arms. "Pokemon are weak in the beginning. Make sure to heal them regularly!"

"Oh... Thank you," said the smiling brunette.

'_Only a fool would trust another fool like her with such an important errand, and a one-of-a-kind Pokemon…'_ thought the redhead. _'Stealing from this so-called 'Professor' should be easy…'_

* * *

**Well how was it? ****I'm sorry it's sort of a disappointment, especially from the first chapter… So lemme just say some stuff:**

**First of all – at first I had decided to keep this story short and simple, with only one chapter. But then I realized that I could do so much with this – so here it is.**

**Second of all – I edited the first chapter (because I didn't think I would write another one) so that Lyra hadn't defeated the Kanto gym leaders yet; and only defeated the Johto ones and became Champion. So I'm really sorry to those who read it before I edited it; I may have completely confused you.**

**Third of all – I edited ****_THIS_**** chapter a LOT. I literally just took down the second chapter and re-uploaded it. So now it starts from when Lyra first starts her journey, waaaay before she 'meets' Kris. So, again, I'm really sorry to those people who read the old chapter first.**

**And last but not least – I'm changing the tense from 1st person to 3****rd**** – and present to past – from this chapter and onwards. I'm keeping the 1st person and present tense for the first chapter, though. I feel like it just flows better that way.**


	3. Chapter 3: Theft

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

**Word Count: 2,259**

**I hope I don't disappoint you with this!**

**I didn't mention this in the last A/N, but the reason I took down the second chapter and made it start with Lyra just beginning her journey (instead of right after the Celebi-Time-Incident) was because I got a helpful PM from a reviewer - x Desert Rose x - suggesting that I should begin it like this. So thank you very much!**

* * *

_**Just a Pass of the Baton**_

_**Chapter 3: Theft**_

* * *

The bubbly brunette walked out into the breezy, fresh air of Newbark to see her childhood friend darting around, as always.

"Ethan!"

He finally notices her, and slows down long enough to admire her newly acquired pokemon. "Nice Cyndaquil! It's super cute!"

'_Where is this _Ethan's_ manly factor?'_ thought a certain eavesdropping redhead.

"His name is Flare," stated the eager Lyra.

Ethan smirked, straightened, and proudly showed off his _superior_ intellect. "Well, when you walk with it, he'll become more friendly. You should turn around and talk to him sometimes, too. So keep it up!"

Lyra laughed. "You sound a bit like my Mom."

Ethan immediately sulked; being compared to Lyra's Mom was _not_ the response he was expecting. "A-Ahem. Anyway, _speaking_ of your mother, why don't you show it to her?"

She groaned. "She'll probably give me one of those motherly lectures…" She looked up, waiting for an answer. But Ethan wasn't listening; he was already gone – leaving Marill to look around for its owner before rushing off also. "Why do I even _bother_ trying to hold a conversation with him…?"

She turned around and gave her own Pokemon a shrug, and he just blankly stared back at her.

Lyra just sighed. "Come on, Flare. Time for you to meet my mother."

The redhead watched this entire conversation before turning back to the window. A sinister smirk grew on his face, and he formulated his plan to steal a certain Totodile.

**OoOoO**

"Oh, Lyra! What a _cute_ Pokemon! I just want to pinch it's cheeks – "

"_No_, Mom," muttered her exasperated daughter. "And it's a _he_.

"My bad, dear," apologized Lenora, running her hand through her thick, brown hair. "The Professor gave it to you?"

"Yep. He has a task for me to do, and then, afterward, can _officially_ call myself a Trainer!"

"What do you have to do?"

Lyra then launched into a summarized explanation of what she had to do.

"Whoa, _slow down, _Lyra! Anyway, that sounds a bit difficult. Oh, by the way, your Pokegear came back from the repair shop!"

Lyra nodded sheepishly, and took the phone from her mother's hands.

"Try to_ not _break it again, okay?"

"_Mom!_ I told you it was an accident – I didn't know it was in my pocket when I washed it!"

"Now, now. You'd better get going on your errand. Don't want to make a bad first impression on the Professor, now do you, dear?"

Lyra huffed, and walked out the door – almost closing the door on poor Flare.

As she was walking of to Route 29, she caught the redhead peering through the window of the Lab again – and tried to shake off the bad feeling that was latching onto her ever since she had first laid eyes on the redhead.

She kept on walking, and was interrupted when Professor Elm came rushing out of his Lab again. "Wait! Lyra! I almost forgot about this!"

She let him catch up to her; the older man huffing and puffing. "Here's my (huff) number. I'll call you if and w-when...(huff, huff) When anything comes up."

Lyra nodded. "Thank you, Professor! A-Are you okay?"

The Professor took a moment to catch his breath. "Y-Yes, thank you. Goodbye, Lyra!"

She nodded again, and turned around to face Route 29. "Let's go, Flare."

And so began the _very_ terrifying walk to Cherrygrove, with Pidgeys popping up from every nook and cranny. It was only after Lyra earned a nasty scratch from a berserk Pidgey that she learned that avoiding the tall grass was wise.

She had gotten herself lost _countless_ times in the perilous labyrinth of Route 29, and it took a very long time before she reached the floral town of Cherrygrove. _'If _that_ was difficult, I wonder how hard it is to travel in Sinnoh, with all that snow._..' she mused.

Her nose greatly welcomed the flowery aroma of Cherrygrove, and her Cyndaquil was very content with the relaxing atmosphere, especially after all those brutal battles with the Pidgey.

Lyra then ran into an old man who insisted to show her around the beautiful town, and it took all of her strength and patients to keep up with the speedy elder – as he walked _much_ faster than the average youth.

He finally ended the tour at his house, and he generously gave Lyra his running shoes. Lyra tried to refuse, but the old gentleman was _pushy_.

'_These things are really helpful,'_ she thought to herself as she slipped them on her tiny feet. "I hope you can keep up with me, Flare," she said to her panting Cyndaquil. "… I really need to get you to the Poke Center, huh?"

After waiting a short while for Nurse Joy to hand her Cyndaquil back to her, she set off once more, but this time for Mr. Pokemon's house. The speedy old man once again caught up to her, and handed her a Map of the Johto Region, and sped off again before she could refuse.

"What an energetic old man," she murmured to Flare, and he squeaked in response.

She set off for Route 30 with Flare. She reached a house, and ecstatically rushed inside – only to find out that it _wasn't_ Mr. Pokemon's house. She tried not to get impatient while sitting through the man's lengthy explanation about Apricorns. Finally, he gave her an Apricorn Box, and bid her farewell – and Lyra was more than happy to leave.

After walking for a little bit more, and being ambushed by multiple wild Pokemon, she finally reached Mr. Pokemon's house. By then, Flare had already leveled up to Level 8.

"You must be Lyra! I am Mr. Pokemon, but by now I'm sure you have deduced that by now."

She nodded, and he led her to a rectangular table. "This is what I want Professor Elm to examine." He gave her a mysterious egg, with strange markings engraved on the exterior.

"A friend of mine from Ecruteak gave it to me. I doubt you'd find an egg like this anywhere else in Johto, so I thought Professor Elm could look into it. He _is_ the best when it comes to the research of Pokemon evolution, after all."

"I'll hand it to him," Lyra nodded.

"Good. I'll go and heal your pokemon for a bit…" He took her Cyndaquil and tilted a Potion to Flare's quivering mouth. A few moments later, the Cyndaquil looked completely revitalized. "There we go!"

She took Flare from his arms, nodding in gratitude. "Thank you very much!"

Then an unfamiliar voice entered her ears. "And with that… I'm Professor Oak, a Pokemon researcher!"

Lyra choked on her own saliva; the renowned Professor Oak was _here!?_

"So you're Lyra!"

'_He knows my name!'_

"I was just visiting Mr. Pokemon, and I heard you were running an errand for Professor Elm, so I decided to wait here."

Lyra only nodded; she didn't trust herself to speak – for all that would come out would be a strangled grunt.

The Professor stood and potted her Cyndaquil.

"What's this? A rare Pokemon!" He looked at her for clarification.

Lyra took a deep, shaky breath. "Y-Yes, I-I'm helping Professor Elm with his research…"

Professor Oak nodded. "I think I understand why he gave you that Pokemon. You will treat him with love and care, right?"

"Y-Yes, I will."

The Professor smiled, satisfied. "You seem to be dependable. Here you go – a Pokedex."

She nearly fainted from the shock. _'A Pokedex? W-Why would he give a Pokedex to _me_, of all people? Only a select few get those!"_

"Could you do me a favor and complete that Pokedex?"

"Y… Yes, I'll try my best."

The Professor smiled. "Thank you." He turned to Mr. Pokemon. "I'm sorry - I've stayed too long; I must get to Goldenrod for my usual radio show." He looked back at Lyra. "I have a feeling this isn't the last time we'll meet… So goodbye for now!"

"Oh, okay…" she murmured quietly, disappointed that he was leaving so early. "Um, Bye...?"

The Professor blinked, like he had just remembered something. "Oh, wait, I almost forgot – let's exchange numbers, just to be on the safe side."

Lyra nodded and shakily handed him her Pokegear information. He smiled once more at her, and began to leave.

She watched him walk regally out the door, before doing the same.

'_How lucky… I never knew I'd get a _Pokedex_! The only other kids who got these became _famous_! And Professor Oak's research... It's amazing - it's what inspired me to become a Pokemon Trainer!'_

As she walked outside, still lost in thought, her Pokegear rang – a very annoying tune that hurt her ears. It was from Professor Elm.

'_What could he want…?'_ she thought as she answered the screeching phone.

**OoOoO**

It was all too easy to steal a Pokemon from the Professor. All he had to do was snatch a Pokeball while hiding in the ceiling beams. The Professor didn't even put a _decent_ security system on the machine; cracking the code took mere seconds. Elm had his back turned most of the time, and the assistant was much too absorbed in his was work. He was well on his way with his newly acquired Totodile by the time Elm noticed a Pokemon was missing. _'What an idiot,'_ thought the redhead.

Little did he know, the Lyra that reminded him so much of_ someone _else was making her way back the way he came.

As he was making his escape to Cherrygrove, he saw the infuriating brunette. He couldn't put a finger on why he despised her so – he barely knew her, after all – but he just knew he _hated_ her.

She gaped at him. "You're the guy at the Lab!"

He just glared at her for a few moments. "… You... _You_ got a Pokemon from the Lab. What a waste – that Pokemon is too powerful for a _wimp_ like you."

She blinked at him, baffled as to why he would call her a wimp. "I… I'm not a _wimp_! Why would you…"

"You don't get it, do you? I, too, have a powerful Pokemon. Let me show you how to _truly_ handle a Pokemon."

"W-Wha?!"

It was too late to back out now; he had already taken out his Totodile. The girl had finally deduced that he wanted a battle, and she moved aside so her Cyndaquil could fight.

"Flare! Tackle!" She called out.

In turn, he ordered his Totodile to use Scratch. But he soon found out that her Cyndaquil was easily beating his Totodile.

"Hmph! You're doing average for someone _weak._"

"I'm not weak!"

And then the battle was over, only moments after it started. Her Cyndaquil had knocked out his Totodile, who had barely inflicted an _eighth_ of the health the Cyndaquil had left. And, as if it wasn't enough, her Cyndaquil had even leveled up to Level 9 during the battle!

Trembling with rage, he recalled his Totodile. "… Do you know who I am?"

"Uh –"

He didn't let her finish. "I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokemon Trainer."

And with that, he shoved her aside and walked away.

Still baffled, Lyra looked at the ground – and there was his Trainer Card.

"_Silver…?_"

He froze and turned around. "Give that back," he yelled at her, running over. He snatched it and rushed off again.

'_Dammit…_ _Now she knows who I am…_' Silver sighed and stopped once he reached the outskirts of Cherrygrove. _'She's probably too dumb to know that I stole that Totodile, though.'_

Back at Route 29, Lyra looked at Flare. "What a _doozy_, he was… Hey, he had a Totodile…" She tapped her finger on her chin. Contrary to popular belief, she was actually pretty perceptive when it came down to it. One could even see her gears turning inside her brain. "Oh! That phone call… I've _got_ to tell the Professor!"

* * *

**Okay, so if was too subtle about it, Silver hates Lyra because she replaced Kris – but he doesn't remember that yet. He just knows he doesn't like her. Sooo, yeah. Tell me what ya think!**

**So yeah, don't worry - I haven't forgotten about Kris! I'll try make her 'appearance' obvious to you guys, but Lyra just won't notice; she'll think it's her _own _subconscious. In fact, Kris has already influenced Lyra! See how Lyra's secretly kinda smart? That's kind of from Kris. _Kind of._**

**So, please, tell me what you think so far!**


	4. Chapter 4: Deja Vu

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Word Count: 2,663**

**Whew. Here's another chapter for you guys. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes; I'm too lazy to re-check it.**

* * *

**_Just a Pass of the Baton_  
**

**_Chapter 4: Deja Vu_**

* * *

Running away from the pack of Pidgey as fast as her legs could carry her, she rushed across Route 29 – while simultaneously dialing Professor Elm's number on her Pokegear. Her running efforts were fruitless, as her loud footsteps only attracted more Pokemon. Every few steps, more and more wild Pokemon would gather.

"Professor! I _(huff)_ just ran into a boy with a T-Totodile! _(Huff!)_"

"L-Lyra!? Are you absolutely sure?!"

"Y-Yes, I'm – eeek!" She ran into an ambush of Pidgey. "F-Flare!"

The Cyndaquil nodded; he realized the urgency of the matter. He quickly dealt with the rabid Pidgeys while Lyra tried to explain her situation.

"I'm _positive_ he had a Totodile! I'm _(huff, huff)_ making my way towards the Lab right now! Oooh!" She tripped over a ledge. "Ow-ow-ow-ow…"

"Lyra! What's wrong?!"

Pausing for a moment to make sure her foot wasn't twisted, she got up and started running again. "_(Huff, huff)_ I'm fine, I'm fine…"

She twisted around to check for Flare – worried that he had done too much damage with his Ember – and sure enough, there was a miniature fire of destruction in his wake; red flames devouring the tall grass and making its slow journey across the grassy field.

"_Flare_!" The Cyndaquil flinched at his master's harsh tone.

"Ah, sorry, Flare. Just… _(cough, cough)_ try _not_ to burn the whole forest down, please." He nodded sadly, disappointed in himself.

"Sorry, _(cough)_ Professor, I'm going to have to stay here for a bit – Flare nearly torched the grass here, and I _(huff, cough, cough)_ have to put it out." At the mention of his name, Flare whined and butted his master's leg with his head in apology.

"Oh… Well, that makes sense. But please, hurry!"

"I will!" And with that, she hung up the phone and proceeded to put out the fire.

**OoOoO**

The doors of the Lab opened with a _blam!_ and revealed a panting brunette, hands resting on her knees. Her singed clothes were tarnished with ash and mud. "_(Pant)_ Professor! I'm finally _(huff)_ here! Sorry for the wait!" She looked up from her crouched position, and realized that a police officer was hovering over her. She immediately straightened her back. "Oh! Um, h-hello…?"

"Who are _you_? We're investigating the case of the missing Pokemon here…" The young officer turned up his nose, peering over his glasses at her. "Rule number one! Whoever did it will come back to the scene of the crime." His glare intensified. "So _you_ must be the one who did it!"

Lyra gaped at him. "What? I… No, I didn't – "

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out some handcuffs, prompting Lyra to shake even more. "We have to take you in!"

The Lab door slammed against the wall again, and in rushed an angry Ethan. "Hold on a second! She has _nothing_ to do with it," he insisted. "I saw it – there was a red haired boy looking into the building!"

Lyra nodded, eager to prove her innocence. "Y-Yeah – I even battled a redheaded boy! And he also had a Totodile!"

The officer paused, looking back and forth between the two. "… Oh… So you battled a boy like that? So _he_ must be the one who did it…"

Ethan smirked, taking pride in the fact that he had just proved an officer wrong.

The officer sighed, and took out his notepad. "… Did you happen to get his name?"

"Silver," piped up Lyra.

"I see," he muttered guiltily, writing down the information. "Sorry for falsely accusing you… Well, now I have to go and turn this information in… And look for him…"

Lyra nodded, and he left.

Ethan turned back to her. "Lyra, I'm glad they understand you're innocent. See you later!"

"W-Wait, Ethan – " And then he was gone, also – before she could even thank him.

She turned to Professor Elm. "This is terrible…"

She could clearly see his wrinkles again, and attempted to change the subject; keep his mind off the theft. "Um, Mr. Pokemon's discovery… It was this Mystery Egg."

She handed the precious object to him. "This… This is just a regular egg! But he's always fascinated by eggs…" He seemed lost in thought.

'I guess I'll just have to find out the secret then…'he mused. 'I'll keep it for a while, I suppose.'

"Um, Professor? I, uh, also met Professor Oak, and he gave me a Pokedex."

'_What? He gave her a Pokedex...?' _the Professor gasped. "Wow, Lyra, that... Th-That's Incredible! He's superb at seeing the potential of people as Trainers." _'I guess, this time, I chose a good Trainer…'_

"Yes, yes, I _knew_ you were a little different from the others…" He mumbled aloud.

An creepy chill ran down the brunette's spine. Her next words were barely audible, "H-Huh?!" _'What is this ominous feeling…?'_ thought Lyra._ 'I can't place my finger on it, though… I've never been different; what makes me so _special_? What's going on?'_ A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

The Professor turned his back to her, musing to himself. _'Yes, this girl, there's _something_ about her. And her Pokemon seem to really like her…'_

"Why don't you… take the Pokemon Gym challenge?" _'I feel like I've asked a similar task of someone_ else…' Elm realized,_ 'but _who_? This is the first time I've issued a Pokemon to someone!'_

"If you manage to defeat all the Gym leaders, you'll eventually challenge the Pokemon League Champion!" _'Just like _her_…' _the random thought entered his mind, though he had no idea where it came from._ 'Wait, _who?_'_

It took a while for this to sink in for Lyra. _'M-Me? Challenge the _Champion?' she thought._ 'I'm flattered, but I dunno… But I owe it to those two Professors to at least _try!_'_

"… Or not!" The Professor blurted out, and while he tried to keep his mouth shut, afraid that he had insulted her, they escaped his lips anyway. "Ha ha!" _'Why am I _insulting_ the poor_ _girl_?' mused the Professor._ 'Is it to keep my mind away from the fact that she reminds me _so_ much of someone else?'_

Lyra flinched, like she had just been slapped. _'Oooh, that _stung_…'_ At least he couldn't see her look of pain; his back was facing her.

She her face turned away from him. "I… I'll at least challenge the Violet City's Gym," she said to him, trying desperately to keep the sting out of her voice. "I owe _that_ much to you, Professor."

He nodded slowly, catching the faint venom in her voice. Guilt crashed down on him, like a relentless waterfall, but he still managed to speak. "M-Make sure to mention this to your mom, okay?"

She lowered her head. "Y-Yeah… I will. Thank you, Professor..."_ 'I have a feeling he's keeping a secret from me…'_ she thought to herself.

**OoOoO**

"So you have everything, dear?" Lenora said, packing the last of her daughter's necessities in her Bag.

"Yep!" replied the bubbly teenager, straightening the mushroom hat on her head. "Um, is it okay if I send you a portion of the Pokedollars I get from my winnings?"

"Oh, _no_, I can't ask you to do that – "

"Mom, I insist! You're retired, and after Dad…" she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Anyway, you're not working anymore. I'd feel horrible to just leave you here on your own!"

Lenora smiled softly. _'That girl… My baby is just so considerate… But that kindness can be a weakness. I just hope she doesn't get taken advantage of.'_

"Thank you, dear. I know it's useless to argue with you. I'll take the money, but I'll save it up for you for when you really need it."

She gave her daughter one last hug. "Goodbye, dear."

Lyra tried not to tear up. "Bye… _Mum._"

Lenora gasped – the last time she had called her by that name was _ages_ ago… She was pulled into a flurry of memories she thought were erased long ago. _'Before her father; my husband… _No_, I can't think of that right now! He doesn't matter anymore! Lyra! _Lyra_ does!'_

And with that, Lyra withdrew from the embrace and walked swiftly out the door.

She took one last, longing look at the house she had grown up in.

'_It's so beautiful,'_ she mused. _'The house that Daddy – no, _Dad_ – built. We used to be so happy together…'_

Lyra missed his laugh, his smile, his voice, his hugs, his dumb jokes… She missed everything about him, and he _left._

_'No… I can't miss those things right now. Those things will never come back. No, I'll miss the teal roof, the windmill, the red mailbox I use to keep in touch with my friends in other regions…_

_'I'll miss the fuzzy, soft rug placed in the center of my room, my comfortable bed, the relaxing view of the beautiful, evergreen forest from my window… I'll miss the cool breeze of Newbark, the scent of our native flowers and trees, the refreshing pond next to our house…_

_'And most of all, I'll miss Mum. But of all those things, I'm allowed to miss, because I can always come back here to embrace them again. I can always have them back. Dad… He'll never come back.'_

**OoOoO**

When she set off for Violet City's Gym, she, once again, ran into Ethan.

"There you are!" He walked up to her, his Marill – Mary – at his heels. "Do you know how to catch wild Pokemon?"

Lyra blinked, as if she had never heard the term before. "U-Um…"

He cut her off. "You can catch wild Pokemon with Pokeballs."

She gave him an exasperated look. "No, really, Ethan," she muttered, trying her best shot at sarcasm… Which wasn't very impressive, by the way.

He held up his hand. "Wait, wait, let me finish." He walked over to a patch of charred grass, and motioned her to follow. "What happened here, anyway? Why is everything so… burnt?" He turned around slowly, and shot an accusing glare at her Cyndaquil.

"I… I…" she lost her voice for a few moments. "I plead the fifth," she managed to get out, but her voice sounded like a nails on chalkboard.

He flinched at her pitchy voice, and then, when he recovered, rolled his eyes at her. He then turned to the lone, shaking, wild Rattata in front of him. He ordered his Marill to attack. "So you lessen it's HP… and when it's low enough, throw a Pokeball. The lower the HP of the opposing Pokemon, the higher chance you have of catching it."

She nodded, watching his demonstration.

When he was finished, he shoved a bunch of Pokeballs at her, "Here you go – good luck!"

She nearly fell trying to carry all of the Pokeballs. "You don't have to give me these – aaaand you're gone." _'He really has to stop doing that.'_

The brunette sighed. "Okay. Bye, I guess…?"_ 'I probably look like a lunatic, talking to nobody.'_

And so, again, she had to trudge through the maze of charred patches of grass and trees. Thankfully, there wasn't as much Pokemon now; the flames of a certain Cyndaquil had scared most of the wildlife away.

When she reached Cherrygrove, the sun was already well on its way towards the horizon, and Lyra was worried that she wouldn't be able to travel in the darkness, so she decided to rest at Cherrygrove's Poke Center.

**OoOoO**

The sleepy pig-tailed fifteen-year-old groaned as the bright sunlight streamed through her open window and onto her face. She then bolted up, realizing immediately that she had a _lot_ of work to do, and a _lot_ of lost time to catch up on.

Barely five minutes passed, already Lyra was making her way across Route 30, and onwards to Violet City. Again, wild Pokemon attacked her on a frequent basis.

'_How do Trainers _stand_ this? Being ambushed by wild Pokemon everywhere you go, it's such a nuisance! And the fear of being _infected_ by some disease when you or your Pokemon is injured… I guess that's why there are Berries, but Johto's soil doesn't fertilize Berries well, or at_ all!_'_

And then she was challenged to her second Pokemon battle. This boy – _Joey_, he said his name was – had the nerve to accuse her of being weak (just like a certain someone else), and she quickly proved him wrong when she KO'd his poor Rattata with only _one_ of Flare's Embers.

But when he asked to exchange Pokegear information, she _had_ to accept. _'I can never say no to someone,' _she reflected to herself as she ran off.

And so it went – not only was she attacked by random wild Pokemon, but she was also challenged by ambitious Trainers.

Pokemon after Pokemon, Trainer after Trainer (Some even _dared_ to challenge her Cyndaquil with a _Caterpie!_) – the endless spiral had no end…

… Until she _finally_ reached the building that separated Route 31 from Violet City. She barely walked a few steps into the building, when Ethan rushed in behind her.

"Since when did you fall behind me?" she teased him, knowing he hated being accused of being slow.

"H-Hey! I just… took a detour, yeah!"

"Yeah, right." Again, her attempt at sarcasm still didn't sound quite right.

He winced in pity. "Jeez, fine, I'll give you this. Just, please, don't attempt sarcasm again. You're going to rupture my eardrums."

She pouted, but still accepted his present. "… What the heck is a 'Vs. Recorder?'"

"It records your Pokemon battles."

"… You mean it records my Pokemon _failures._"

"Basically." He then bolted before he could endure the pain of another sarcastic comment.

"_Ethan!_" She called out to him. "You weren't supposed to _agree_ with me! Oh, whatever, he's gone," she mumbled, to nobody in particular. Flare nudged my shin; he seemed to share the fuming girl's sympathy, to which the she was grateful for.

'_Great,'_ she thought to herself. _'The only living thing that sympathizes with me is my own Pokemon.'_ Nonetheless, she still knelt down and patted his head. He gave a cry of happiness in response.

**OoOoO**

As Lyra was healing Flare at the Poke Center, she overheard a man speaking to his wife.

" – three years ago… thugs called Team Rocket – " at the name, she immediately clenched her fists – "involved in wrongdoing. They were abusing Pokemon… But a boy did a wonderful job… Team Rocket was disbanded."

It took Lyra several deep breaths to calm myself down. When Nurse Joy finally handed her Flare back, she barely gave the Nurse any of her thanks before storming out of the Center.

* * *

**How was that? Did you like my pathetic attempt at poetry when Lyra was reflecting upon her Dad?**

**Anywho, so now Professor Elm is getting second thoughts! What'd you think of that? Does it flow well? Am I going too fast, or too slow?**

**By the way, does Ethan seem to OOC in this? Does _anybody_ seem OOC? If they do, please let me know! I'm trying to base Ethan a bit off of Gold (Pokemon Adventures) in this... Did I do it well?  
**

**So yeah, _please_ drop a review and tell me what you think!**


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